Cabinet plots Nasha’s downfall

Cabinet is allegedly hatching a plot to oust the Speaker of the National Assembly Dr. Margaret Nasha after the 2014 general elections, authoritative sources told Botswana Guardian this week.The highly clandestine plot is said to involve some senior Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) leaders who are currently canvassing support to replace Dr. Nasha with vice president Ponatshego Kedikilwe in the 11th seating of parliament in October 2014.

Kedikilwe will be retiring from active politics but has not indicated that he will be available for the seat in 2014. With 21 months until the next general elections, some disgruntled BDP ministers believe it is time to start canvassing support for the next Speaker and ditching Nasha, whom plotters believe does not toe the line. They believe the former Gaborone Central legislator is a threat to their political motives of manipulating parliament.

“There are mumblings that she is not toeing the line,” an insider repeated this week.Kedikilwe has however denied any links to the plot or the position of Speaker of Parliament. “I am hearing this from you. Where do you get this?” asked Kedikilwe when approached saying he took the decision to retire so that he can go home and rest.

Asked if he will take the offer when approached the VP said, “I don’t believe I will be approached by anyone.” He added that there are other people who can do the job. Botswana Guardian understands that the main plotters in the game to oust Nasha are president Ian Khama’s cabinet members who at times could not find their way past Nasha to manipulate parliament business, sources have said.

Their main gripe is Nasha is too “liberal” a Speaker and cannot be pushed over.Moreover, Nasha is seen by many to be advocating for independence of parliament. Kedikilwe is seen as someone who can bend the rules to accommodate the executive unlike Nasha.

The BDP has downplayed any problems associated with the nominations process of the ruling party’s upcoming elective conference in Maun. Nasha-a proponent of separation of powers last year organised a workshop for MPs where the issue was discussed. At the time she said the National Assembly needed to look at the constitution and decipher what exactly the separation of powers entails.

“The old fashioned and outdated expression that, ‘if it ain’t broken, we should not fix it’, does not belong here. My position is, ‘let us examine it, to see if indeed it is not broken.’ It is only after thorough examination that you can determine whether or not it needs fixing,” Nasha was quoted as saying.

But BDP backbenchers and opposition politicians have in the past praised Dr. Nasha for advocating for separation of powers. Legislators were debating a proposed action plan on separation of powers by a task force appointed by Dr. Nasha on the independence of parliament. The task force was chaired by Abram Kesupile.

But sources say cabinet has not been happy with Nasha’s liberal approach to the running of parliament because they (executive) cannot find a way of manipulating parliament business. This has been the practice with previous speakers as recently confirmed by former speaker Ray Molomo, who observed in his recently launched book that the expectation of the Executive seems to be that parliament will rubberstamp what the executive provides. But not in Nasha’s books.

Isaac Mabiletsa who worked with three different speakers describes Nasha as a new breed of a speaker. Mabiletsa worked under Moutlakgola Ngwako, Patrick Balopi and Nasha. According to him Ngwako was independent minded but lacked the vision to reform parliament while Balopi was a pretender to carrying reforms.

Parliament under Balopi was less independent, recalls the MP for Kgatleng East. “Under Balopi the executive always found a way of manipulating parliament business as they wished. He was not a very respectable speaker, not transparent with government business.”

But things have changed now, parliament is becoming more independent and Mabiletsa is not surprised that the BDP is planning to deny Nasha a second term. Recently it became clear that the Executive is trying hard to control parliament business when the Office of the President cancelled planned Kgotla meetings by the then Leader of Opposition, Dumelang Saleshando.

By Salesando’s account Nasha (who at the time the Leader of Opposition was reporting to) did not have a problem with the LOO addressing Kgotla meetings. But following the debacle the Office of the President moved quickly to amend sections of the President, The Vice President, Ministers, Speaker, Assistant Ministers, Deputy Speaker and Leader of the Opposition functions and Pay and Privileges to have the LOO fall under the control of the executive.

Recently the Office of the President suffered an embarrassment at the hands of Nasha when minister Mokgweetsi Masisi’s plan to gag the media and MPs from debating the Botswana Development Corporation report failed. Nasha ruled that Masisi must withdraw the statement he presented before parliament.

Observers note that at a different time and with a different speaker Masisi could have succeeded. This is why the executive does not want Nasha as speaker and will probably cost her a job, said a source.

A former member of Khama’s cabinet minister has told the Botswana Guardian that during his time there were hardly any murmurs of disapproval against Nasha as some of his colleagues felt that the speaker was not protecting them from the backbenchers and from the wrath of the opposition MPs. However one insider noted that Nasha’s actions show that she is content with a one-term speakership.

The observer points to the fact that Nasha recently took a bold step by launching Molomo’s book. “That book is anti-government,” he observed. But some sources have informed Botswana Guardian that Nasha would like to continue as Speaker after the 2014 elections because she feels she has not done enough.

“She wants to make this parliament to be counted amongst the best run in the region. She has a very good vision for this parliament,” said an insider. Meanwhile, Mabiletsa says parliament needs Nasha’s services more. “She is the most dynamic speaker I have worked under,” he notes. 

Kentse Rammidi who says Nasha has the courage to push for parliamentary independence shares Mabiletsa’s sentiments. Nasha could not be reached for comment at the time of going to press as her mobile phone rang unanswered.